Before this year's classes began in the Philadelphia School District, parents groups and lawyers from the Public Interest Law Center worried that budget cutbacks were so severe that the state would not be able to meet its legal obligation to provide an adequate education.

A few days before class, they called on fellow parents, students and teachers to file formal complaints with Pennsylvania's education secretary.

Thus far, they said, 260 have been filed. They expect to file an additional 100 complaints by the end of the week.

On Thursday, education advocates also announced a new website, myphillyschools.com, where people can make official complaints.

Minh Nguyen, who works with Asian youth at Boat People SOS, said some immigrant students are not getting the language services to which they're entitled. Take a Vietnamese high school senior, who just came to the country last year.

"When I first met her, I asked her, 'What are you most excited about to be in Philadelphia, to be in the United States?'" he said. "And she said to me, 'I'm most excited about getting a good education. I want to improve my life. I want to end poverty within my family.'"

Comments (9)

Hoping that the Notebook community will work to ensure formal complaints to the state department get filed. You do not have to be a parent to file a complaint. Anyone with direct knowledge of the situation in schools can file a complaint, including groups, organizations, HSAs, volunteers, staff, administrators, supporting organizations, and more. You can file online here, by downloading a complaint form, or inviting us out to your school or community function.

Whether the non-English speakers parents pay taxes or not is irrelevant- and if they do pay taxes, their $$$ goes into the same pot as everyone else's. And not many of that "everyone else" wants their kids education experience diluted or compromised b/c the school now has to spend an exorbitant amount per non-English speaking student. Their parents brought them here, it's their parents responsibility to teach them English. Let them hire tutors if need be. I think it's absolutely ridiculous to think every public school in America should on a moments notice have staff that can speak Hindi, Finnish, Vietnamese, etc. if one of those kids chances to waltz through their doors and can't speak a lick of English. If you went to Finland they have the best public schools on earth- but they will not teach you in your native language, you speak their language or deal w/the consequences- your problem, not the taxpayers.

But Finland is not built upon the reputation of being a "melting pot" that America is known for!
We the people have always taken on the responsibility to support and encourage social mobility through education. Just because certain political parties choose not to fully fund this ideal does not mean that it does not exist.

School funds come from property taxes. Did they buy a house as soon as they got off the boat? At any rate, Philly teachers are facing a massive pay cut because we have too many people using the system and not enough paying into it.

Teachers are facing massive pay cuts because the Governor of PA has taken away necessary funding. He refuses to tax the big oil profiteers and expects the teachers to take ridiculous pay cuts. He does not care about the children of the commonwealth. I do agree with you that not enough are paying for the system.

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